Our Desires
by virgin-macy
Summary: Zelena faces many trials and tribulations as she must overcome her struggles to finally obtain what she has always desired: true happiness. Slowly but surely, Hades is able to earn his redemption. As Zelena and Hades are finding themselves in their new story, they discover what it means to be a "Hero". (Full Summary inside).
1. Chapter 1

**Summary** : _This story is canon-compliant until season five, episode sixteen, "Our Decay" of Once Upon a Time. Starting at the beginning of "Our Decay", when Mr. Gold makes the portal for Hades, the portal works as it should but the baby of Zelena and Robin is the only passenger through the portal. Belle and Zelena remain in Storybrooke while the baby travels to Underbrooke. Zelena faces many trials and tribulations as she must overcome her struggles to finally obtain what she has always desired: true happiness. Slowly but surely, Hades is able to earn his redemption, as most of the villains on the show have been given their own forgiveness. As Zelena and Hades are finding themselves in their new story, they discover what it means for to each of them to be a "Hero."_

Chapter One

 **Disclaimer: ABC () and A &E own everything. I used dialogue between Mr. Gold and Belle from **" _ **Our Decay"**_ **in this chapter as well, but I own nothing but the plot of this story.**

 **Authors Note: Before you get too far into this story, I just want to note that the stars or *'s are being used to indicate that that is where dialogue/plot from the show is being used.**

*Hades strolls into the decrepit room, gazing at the work his newest minion had accomplished during his absence.

"You'd think a desperate man would work a little faster," Hades remarks snidely, gazing at the invisible dirt under his manicured fingernails. He glances up at Mr. Gold, a sneer ever present on his face as he circled the Dark One.

Mr. Gold's face is lacking emotion as his response to Hades' response slips past his thin lips, "Magic cannot be rushed. Creating a portal is no simple task."

Hades tightens his glare and turns to look at the rivers flowing from the platform in his chambers as he sinks into the leather chair waiting for him.

"Yes. Yes, I know. But we don't have a dark curse or a magic bean or silver slippers," A faint smile turns the corners of the God's lips up at the mention of the enchanted object. "We have something better…your Dark One-tainted blood. It got you down here. It can reopen the portal."

Mr. Gold decides to stick his nose in the business of Hades, hoping to stretch the time and patience he has been allotted for the moment, as he says, "Why do you even need a portal? You can come and go as you please."

Hades' expression turns dark as he turns his eyes to the floor.

"But I can't bring anyone back…alive. By combining our powers…that can change. And I don't care how painful it is for you. So, if you want me to tear up this contract so your child-to-be _is_ your child-to-be…you won't care about the pain, either."

Mr. Gold holds his tongue and wisely decides to turn back to the potion at hand, changing course once more in his attempts to sway Hades from the thoughts of the Dark One and Belle's child growing inside the woman's womb.

"You must tell me where you want this portal directed," snarks Mr. Gold, holding back the growl that builds at the threat of his unborn child.

"Oh. Why, Storybrooke, of course."*

Mr. Gold raises his eyebrows at the location revealed, continuing to add the necessary ingredients to the complicated potion. His legs are growing weak, but a bit of magic – through thought of course; it would be a suicide attempt to use magic in a physical form in the presence of the God of Death – fixes the ache that has settled into the man's joints from standing for so long.

"What is in Storybrooke that you could possibly want?" The question leaves his lips before resistance is formed to keep them held in his throat. Mr. Gold fixes his eyes upon the potion, hoping to avoid the wrath of the other being in the room.

"Zelena's baby." Mr. Gold's eyes widen at the two words that are spoken so softly, they turn into a whisper the moment they leave the lips of the son of Kronos.

*"Zelena's baby? What do you want with her child?" The immortal man dares to ask to the deity, adding another ingredient thoughtlessly into the potion. The God in question straightens his back against the leather chair, staring at the man that is standing in the sight of his gaze.

"Well, you of all people should know the value of keeping your reasons your own. I don't have to tell you anything," Hades chips out in a defensive tone, glaring at the Dark One who continues to feed what appears to be a stick into the potion.

Laughing quietly, Mr. Gold responds in an amused tone as he teases the edges of Hades' patience, "And yet you keep doing so. Some might call that the mark of an insecure man."

Any hint of pleasant emotion is gone from the deity's voice when he speaks again, seconds after the other man has finished his jab. "We're done here. Get me Zelena's baby. I'll rip up the contract, and you can tell Belle she's pregnant without also having to tell her she owes her baby to me." Mr. Gold's eyes flash with anger as Hades continues his statement, a smile on his face as he does so. "I hear new expectant mothers hate that. Almost as much as they hate hearing their husbands are still the Dark One. Now do it."*

Mr. Gold grits his teeth as the words he desires to say are swallowed in his throat. He adds the last ingredient to the potion, gives it a stir, and cuts his hand with his powers, not even flinching as he squeezes his hand into a fist to add the blood pouring from his aged fingers into the tiresome potion.

Hades' face is illuminated in what can only be a fleeting moment of joy as a swirling circle of ebony appears above their heads in the chamber. The God of Death manages to reel in the emotions displayed upon his visage and maintains a look of blankness.

A sharp wail rings through the open chamber as a bundle, swaddled in a pink blanket, drops through the portal. Hades rushes underneath the portal as the bundle of blankets lands in his arms. The portal closes a moment later and disappears into nothing. The squirming mass of blankets gives another wail as the face of a baby is revealed to both men in the room.

"I trust you can find your way out of here," Hades remarks, raising an eyebrow as he finally looks away from the baby of Zelena and Robin Hood to stare down Mr. Gold.

"What about the contract?" The Dark One hisses, anger simpering in his veins by the simple dismissal. A small grin appears on the face of Hades as he looks down at the child and is gone a moment later as his eyes return to the other man.

"Never mind about that for the moment," Hades revels in the negative emotions pulsing off Mr. Gold. "I will see to your contract…later. For now, I have things to take care of." Mr. Gold is covered in a swirl of smoke as Hades twists his unoccupied arm to rid his chambers of the other man. The God looks down upon the baby with fondness, adjusting the child into a better position.

"Now it's time for me to lay you down for a nap, hm," he remarks at the crying mass in his arms, rocking her so that her cries subside. "Then, a call to your mummy is in order." Hades' free hand points downwards as he is surrounded in blue mist, transporting him to his bedroom chambers.

Zelena awakes from a restless sleep, her eyes puffy and swollen from crying before and during slumber. Losing a child or rather, having a child _stolen_ from you, causes grave impacts amongst parents, and Zelena is no exception. She dresses with memorized and hurried movements. A dark thought crosses the witch's mind _it's no shocker that my baby was taken from me considering Robin is a thief._

"What a fool I was," Zelena mutters under her breath crossly, waving a practiced hand and summoning a kettle to place upon the stove. The Wicked Witch of the West storms into her living room, her eyes flickering over the books left open from the previous night. Textbooks and spell books lie scattered on the futon and armchair, the pages open to disguising spells.

"Mummy's going to get back all by herself. Don't you worry, sweet pea," Zelena remarks in a determined tone, waving her fingers again to levitate the whistling tea kettle to the counter and pour the boiling water over the tea leaves waiting in an onyx mug. Zelena folds herself on the ground, her fingers tracing over the words written in careful, looping script. The spells discovered thus far were all to disguise items and other people, none of them containing an enchantment to transform _oneself._

 _If only I had my pendant back,_ Zelena thinks, pondering the various ways of creating her own spells. None of her previous attempts to create her own spell or potion have been successful, all failing for some reason or the other, including one time-travel spell.

A flash of memories enter the redhead's mind before walls can be erected to halt them, and the witch nearly doubles over in pain due to the emotions that are emerging within her.

" _Get out of my fucking head_!" Zelena snarls, clutching her temples with both of her hands as she forces herself to focus on the books in front of her, the color of the walls, her daughter, anything but the content of the memories playing out in her mind. She pictures her daughter's face in her imagination, sweet, cherubic like cheeks and piercing blue eyes that remind her of _another_ set of blue eyes only this pair saw into her very soul, leaving her raw and helpless as the words of hope and maybe even love left _his_ lips.

Zelena screams and summons a fireball, throwing it at the wall in front of her. A scorch mark remains, but no other evidence is shown, the wall remaining mostly unharmed due to the protection spells inlaid in its structure. A string of curses leaves the witch's lips as more and more memories flash through her mind before they finally stop, disappearing as the mental walls inside of her brain finally protect her from the destructive images. Zelena heaves a sigh of relief and summons her mug of tea from the kitchen, releasing a hefty breath as the therapeutic liquid soothes her aching throat.

A milky orb startles Zelena out of her unsteady thoughts, her blank gaze turning from the pages in front of her to the bubble bobbing inches from her face. She reaches out a finger, testing the consistency of the thing only to discover that it's almost solid in matter, giving slight resistance to her touch.

"Zelena," a husky voice drawls, sending shivers up and down the witch's spine. Zelena straightens until her back resembles a ruler, her eyes narrowing at the orb before rolling towards the sky. Of course, the one person she was trying so very hard to block out of her mind would enter it in yet a different form. Zelena harshly sighs; she really does have the worst of luck.

"Do forgive me for my…stalkerish tendencies as one might call them," the bubble continues, its voice all too familiar, it comes from _him_ after all, "But I just wanted to make sure you were alright as of late. I was startled when you had your recent incident with the Dark One, and I beg your pardon, but I only wanted to make sure you wouldn't be joining me unwillingly anytime soon.

"You have a daughter now, but she isn't with you. I've changed that. I couldn't resist saving her from those…Heroes - as they call themselves - when they abandoned her for their conquest into my land to save their precious pirate. Your baby is safe, and if you wish to come and get her, as I suspect you would, I will have a portal open for you in one hour exactly. It will appear in your driveway and will only remain open for one minute."

There is a pause in _his_ voice as it seems to consider what to say next. During this brief moment, Zelena is able to digest the information quickly, scouring her brain with a solution to the situation at hand. A minuscule part of her feels touched at _his_ concern for her and her daughter, but a larger part of her – one that she has allowed to have free rein in recent years to accomplish her revenge and well, wickedness – is enraged that _he_ would even **think** about taking her child, to a place of death and destruction no less, let alone actually do it.

"I do hope that you will stay for a while once you have retrieved your daughter. I have…missed you, and even if you don't quite trust me yet – which I understand if you don't – I implore you to give me, to give us, a chance. I'll be seeing you soon," the orb stops talking after _his_ farewell, vanishing with a ' _pop_!' a moment later. Zelena stares in shock in front of her where the bubble was just a minute ago. Multiple things trace through her mind: her daughter's visage, a bicycle and candlelit dinner, and finally, an image of fluffy, blonde hair and blue eyes so pure they can read every emotion flickering through one's soul.

Zelena stands and waves her hand, shutting all the books with a practiced motion and returning them to their rightful spots on her bookshelf. Another flick of her fingers gathers a small tote bag, summoning canisters of baby formula, baby bottles, diapers, and infant clothing and placing them neatly into the bag. Zelena looks around the room and runs a hand across the top of her hair, musing her already messy bun. The dirty dishes in the sink can wait, as can the laundry sitting in a pile upstairs in her bedroom.

"My hat," the Witch of Oz murmurs, walking upstairs and grabbing the black object. She sits down on her unmade bed for a moment, processing the actions she is about to take.

All her carefully constructed concrete walls are going to tumble down the moment she enters _his_ domain. The second her eyes make contact with _his_ , she knows that the game will start once more, and this time, she is sure that she will be lured into playing instead of dancing away with a harsh remark. How many times has she forced her mind to take a different path than the one that encompassed thoughts of _him_?

For a small second, Zelena closes her eyes and imagines a calming image, her daughter, safe, secure, content, and smiling up at her mother. Then, the photograph in her imagination swirls and reveals another figure, this one an adult male, all blue eyes, and smooth, fluffy blonde hair. _He_ cradles her baby in _his_ arms, beaming down at the child as _he_ bounces her, safe and swaddled, cradled in the crook of _his_ arm.

The domestic scene is too much for the witch to witness, and she tears her eyes open, forcing the idea away. As beautiful as it was, the damning picture caused hope and a warm feeling to bloom in her chest, a feeling that Zelena has only experienced in those two moments with _him_ and in every moment she has ever had with her daughter.

Zelena forces all of these experiences away from her, and she gathers herself and rises from the bed, walking down the stairs and into the living room. She gulps down the remains of her tea before putting the mug in the sink, careful to prevent the cup from smashing into bits of ceramic. The Wicked Witch of Oz inhales a shaky breath as she takes her bag in hand, placing her hat on her head as she walks to the front door. As she crosses the threshold onto the porch, the breath she contained is released, and she looks back into her house, closing the door and locking it before she turns and makes her way down the steps and onto the driveway.

Zelena only has to wait ten minutes, during which she checks and rechecks her bag to make sure she has everything she will need for her sweet pea before the portal appears. It looks just like every other portal she has ever seen, inky and circular in shape. She takes one final breath, looks at her house and the surrounding area, and jumps into the swirling mass, holding onto her hat and bag as she goes.

Seconds later, Zelena finds herself in the middle of what appears to be Storybrooke, but no it can't be, because the clock tower is in the middle of the road instead of on top of the library and the sky is red instead of blue and is that the Savior's canary yellow beetle over there, torn to bits and missing its tires?

Swearing under her breath as she massages her poor ankles; they are still a bit swollen due to her recent pregnancy and landing on them with such a great impact has done them nothing good. Zelena takes in all the changes between this place – _the Underworld,_ she reminds herself – and Storybrooke.

"Now, if I were a God of the Underworld, where would I be?" The redhead asks herself as she looks upon the destruction and well, chaos, in the small-town square. _I think I'll try the mayor's office first. It's the only major building in town besides the library,_ she thinks to herself, setting off in the direction of Regina's old office.

 _Well, that was a bust,_ Zelena ponders as she heads towards what appears to be the town library. The mayor's office was identical to the one in Storybrooke but there was no one in sight, and though she has seen many people walking on the street, nobody has seemed familiar to her.

Zelena passes by the destroyed town clock and looks at the face. The hands are frozen on the clock's face. She shrugs her shoulders and heads into the library, seeing an identical copy to the one in Storybrooke, only it looks a bit destroyed as if a recent battle has occurred in the building. She looks in the direction of the elevator and notices that it starts to shimmer the more she looks at it. Entranced, Zelena begins to walk towards the ancient contraption, reaching out a hand to touch the door of the elevator. A warm feeling covers the witch in gooseflesh, similar to when stepping through a magical barrier. She gasps as both the external and internal elevator doors open. Throwing all caution to the wind, Zelena steps inside the elevator, pulling down the door inside and watching in fascination as the outside door closes itself. The elevator begins to descend without any further programming, and the redhead attempts to find her footing as the elevator quickly descends.

All too quickly for Zelena's liking, the elevator halts and opens both doors, allowing her to escape. A bit shaky on her feet, Zelena exits the elevator and attempts to conjure a fireball as the tunnel she has found herself in is very dark and damp. A spark fizzes in her hand and forms a large inferno before dying out. Zelena frowns and tries again, gaining a steady fireball this time. She grabs a piece of wood from the floor and lights the top to form a touch before the flame extinguishes itself.

"Oh, wonderful," Zelena says in a sarcastic tone, "It seems my magic is unstable in this God-awful place!"

Ignoring the slight rage that settles in her spine, the witch begins to walk through the tunnels, keeping straight for about ten minutes before a light begins to shine through the tunnel. Putting the torch out on the dirt in the ground, Zelena pauses before exiting the tunnel and entering an expansive, cavern-like room.

Five rivers in the colors blue, yellow, green, red, and black lead to a circular platform in the middle of the room. Two tables are set up on either side of the platform, one filled with chemicals that could be found in an alchemist's wet dream, the other filled with what appears to be various types of alcohol and spirits. A luxurious leather chair is placed some space away from the table filled with drinks, and a figure stands with its back facing the entrance to the cavern, a glass held in the figure's hand.

Zelena continues to walk forwards along the path directly leading to the platform. She is careful to avoid both rivers surrounding the path, curious but also wary about what they might contain and do. Zelena's eyes wander to the figure again, the light finally highlighting the fair color of the person's hair and the fine material of the suit coating its tall but slightly muscular body.

Hades' ears twitch as the sounds of what can only be _her_ approaching. He closes his eyes, fingers closing more tightly around his glass of scotch, as emotions swirl in his heart. Anger and pain bloom in his chest as the memories of that night come back to him. _No,_ he reasons with himself, _she only rejected you because she was still hurting. She wasn't ready, and it was wrong of you to push her for your own gain. You hurt her just as much as she hurt you._

Hades begs – no, wills, Gods don't beg – himself to stay in control, and he turns, his eyes opening and turning from the floor to get a first glimpse of the woman who has avoided him for years. Gods, did she get even more beautiful? How was that even possible? Zelena's scarlet curls are held back in a messy bun underneath a wide-brimmed hat black as death. Her cerulean eyes bare into his own, his breath caught in his throat at the sight, as he skims over her body, head to toe, checking for any damages that might have occurred over the years he has been absent from her life. He notices a slight limp in both of her feet and ponders why she hasn't bothered to heal herself. No matter, he'll help her later if she wants him to. Gods, he hopes she wants him to.

Zelena's eyes remain on the fair-haired man in front of her, and the memories all flood back to her, images of emerald skin meeting porcelain, a bike ride filled with joyous laughter followed by what was almost a celebratory dinner that ended in words filled with fear and desperation. The witch's heart flutters fast in her chest as she remembers the warmth of his touch and the blush that rose to her cheeks as he murmured the word "beautiful". She blinks and the memories fade, her eyes scanning over him, drinking in the luxurious suit and polished, leather shoes as her gaze scans over him, head to toe, beginning with his feet and ending with his blue irises that gleam as he looks into her own eyes.

"Hades," Zelena whispers, her feet halting once she steps onto the platform. She now notices that his suit jacket is not impeccable and has a line of spit up on it, accompanied by a burp cloth. The affection coursing through her veins increases tenfold but is now twisted together with a line of anger at the thought that he dared to take her daughter without her permission.

Hades gazes at the amazing woman in front of him, noticing the slight shaking of her fists in anger. A shiver is sent down his back and pangs through his chest as his name leaves her lips. An inaudible groan passes his mouth, and he closes his eyes for a moment.

Hades sucks in a breath, reaching for his fleeting control.

"Zelena."


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: _This story is canon-compliant until season five, episode sixteen, "Our Decay" of Once Upon a Time. Starting at the beginning of "Our Decay", when Mr. Gold makes the portal for Hades, the portal works as it should but the baby of Zelena and Robin is the only passenger through the portal. Belle and Zelena remain in Storybrooke while the baby travels to Underbrooke. Zelena faces many trials and tribulations as must overcome her struggles to finally obtain what she has always desired: true happiness. Slowly but surely, Hades is able to earn his redemption, as most of the villains on the show have been given their own forgiveness. As Zelena and Hades are finding themselves in their new story, they discover what it means for to each of them to be a "Hero."_

Chapter Two

 **Disclaimer: ABC () and A &E own everything. I used dialogue between Mr. Gold and Belle from **" _ **Our Decay"**_ **in this chapter as well, but I own nothing but the plot of this story.**

Zelena stalks towards the man in front of her, the anger bubbling over with each stomp of her feet. The rage she feels, his audacity to think that he could take _her_ daughter wipes out any trace of remorse or kindness that she could have felt.

"Where's my _**fucking**_ daughter?" She demands, the tips of her fingers igniting in green sparks of fire. The conflagration inside her yearns to be set free, to sweep over the room and set everything aflame, leaving nothing in its wake. Zelena relaxes her fists and flexes her fingers, unconsciously releasing huge fireballs that fly out towards to the walls surrounding the platform. Hades' gaze leaves her face and examines the scorch marks that the flames left on the brick walls.

"Zelena is something wrong with your magic?" The question leaves the God of the Underworld's lips before he can stop himself, the concern he feels for the powerful witch overpowering any anger that was inside his chest.

"I will ask you one more time. _**Where**_ is my baby?" Zelena bellows, her voice raising along with her anger. Hades' eyebrows furrow into a frown, and he sighs, holding a hand out for her to take.

"She's in one of my bedrooms," he admits, his eyes flickering over the distance between himself and the Wicked Witch. Zelena's eyes flash with rage and turn a bright emerald color.

"How dare you even think that you could take away _**my**_ child," She spits at the god of death, her fingers aching to cast a fireball in his direction.

"Those heroes, as they call themselves, weren't even watching her," Hades reasons with Zelena, attempting to soothe her anger. "I only took her because I _knew_ that she would be safer with me until you could be with her. They left her all _alone_ up there with the other babies. They wouldn't even let her own mother see her; how could that possibly be any better than here with me and now you?"  
"Safer with you?" She scoffs, folding her arms over her chest. "How could _my_ child be safer with you, a man who can't l-love anything and wouldn't be troubled in the slightest if she was h-hurt?"

"I've changed, Zelena," Hades all but whispers, but Zelena's rage does not dim in the slightest."I wish you could see that. Besides, I've had a visual and aural monitor in her room at all times, so that I would know if anything happened to her." His gaze slips down to her fingertips where her magic is still winking in and out, and the mask over his emotions drops temporarily.

"I-is your magic alright?" Hades asks, his brows furrowing at the thought that his place of reign could impact his former lover in such a way. His fingers twitch as he raises his hand, every nerve in his body aching to just _touch_ her. "Take my hand, Zelena, and I'll take you to her. Your magic is...unstable at the moment, and I'm afraid it could harm you. Just _take_ my hand."

The Wicked Witch's wary gaze sweeps over Hades's visage and outstretched hand, weighing all of her options in her mind. A few moments pass by where just silence echoes throughout the chambers.

Zelena's fingers barely grace Hades's. The god's hand clasps onto hers, and Zelena watched as his other hand was cast downwards, a gust of blue fire engulfing them before they disappeared from Hades's lair.

A few seconds later, the duo arrives in a long, dark hallway. They stand in front of a large, arched door, and Zelena inhales a deep breath before turning the doorknob and walking into the room, the tension and anger melting away from her bones as her eyes settle on the face of her baby.

Hades glances around the room as Zelena bolts for her child. The walls are a pastel blue, giving the room a sense of security and softness. A bookshelf with spell books and grimoires is up against the wall to the left of the doorway; an armoire is on the wall to the right of the door. Next to the armoire are two doors, one leading to a modern master bathroom, complete with a bear clawed tub, and the other giving way to a large closet, big enough to hold clothes for four to five people. In front of the doorway is a king-sized bed, encrusted with a beautiful mahogany headboard, a dark emerald duvet, and midnight black sheets. A wooden crib, instead of a nightstand table, stands right next to the bed painted a dark black to match the sheets on the bed.

"Sweetpea," Zelena murmurs as she crosses the room. She winces slightly as her feet drag and limp across the floor, the adrenaline leaving her body and exhaustion flooding her system. Hades's eyes travel down her legs and land on her feet, concern and slight anger flooding his emotions. He wonders to himself why Zelena hasn't healed herself yet. Yes, her daughter is a major issue and something to be worried about, but she should have taken care of herself first.

"Shh, shh, Mummy's here, Mummy's here," Zelena's whispers interrupting Hades' thoughts, his gaze falling onto the maternal image of Zelena and her baby. Tenderness replaces the anger inside of his heart, and he furrows his brows as he reflects on these foreign emotions.

"You're going to be with Mummy now, sweetpea," Zelena reassures the now quiet baby. Baby Zelena raises her fists and waves them at her mother. A warmth fills Zelena's heart, and she clutches her baby to her chest, rocking her slowly from side to side.

"What happened?" Hades asks the Wicked Witch, speaking in a low voice as to not upset the baby.

Silence.

"Please, Zelena," Hades says, looking up at her, "Tell me the truth. I don't want you to e-endanger yourself even more."

Zelena glares at the god, willing him to just leave her be with her child; she just wants to have a moment with _her_ child without Hades intruding _._ Even though he is technically right - her ankles _are_ injured from falling through the portal and it seems like something is tampering with her magic - she refuses to allow him that satisfaction. Why should she give him anything after he put her daughter in danger and took her away from her own mother?

"No, Hades," Zelena spits his name like a curse, placing her child back in the crib. "I'll figure it _**on my own**_."

"Alright, alright," Hades says, attempting to soothe her. Zelena grows angrier as he tries to create a peaceful environment.

"No, it's not alright," Zelena growls, stepping away from the crib as flames spark on her fingertips, growing brighter until they extinguish themselves as if someone had thrown water onto her hands.

"Z-Zelena, please!" He pleaded, waving his hands in front of his body. A blue shield now encompasses his body, carefully guarding him against her magic.

"No! Just leave my daughter and me alone!" She shouts one more time before storming back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Leaning against the worn mahogany, she lets out an angry sigh, her eyelids closing tightly. Zelena forces all of the negative emotions deep down inside of her; she doesn't want her magic to react to her emotions and cause any injury to her daughter. A soft cry echoes against the walls for a few seconds before Zelena rushes over to the crib on the other side of the room, scooping up her daughter and pressing her close to her chest.

"Shh, I've got you, little one," she reassures the baby, bouncing her gently in her arms. It takes a few minutes for her to stop crying. She's aggravated that Hades had to meddle in her life _again_. Sure, her life isn't ideal, what with her sister and the rest of the "heroes" hating her and practically exiling her out of town, and she _finally_ has her baby back after being separated from each other for so long, but she was trying, goddamnit, she was trying without asking for anyone's help and how could anyone fault her for that?

Zelena sighs to herself again and sits on the edge of the bed with her baby cradled in her arms. She looks down upon the baby's head and gives her a weak smile.

"You know Mummy's been thinking of names for you, Little One," She tells the baby girl, watching as the child's fist clutches onto one of Zelena's fingers. "Who knows what your _father_ would have wanted to name you, probably something horribly plain like Emily.

"Lily is nice," She murmurs to the baby, watching as the child innocently waves around both of her fists, clutching onto her mother's hand even tighter.

"Caroline is also too plain," She continues, thinking of the list of names she has in her house in Storybrooke, "Do you like Mia? Or maybe Luena?"

Zelena's baby yawns and smacks her lips together, her eyes blinking a few times. Zelena smiles down at the girl and settles her on the bed.

"Yes, I think Luena Mia works quite well, don't you, Little One?" She asks the baby, more talking to herself rather than the child. A fleeting thought crosses her mind to check whether her baby is hungry or needs a diaper change, and Zelena focuses all of her energy and magic into a quick summoning charm. She is pleased when the diaper bag she packed before jumping through the portal flies carefully across the room and lands at her feet. Keeping one hand on the newly dubbed Luena, Zelena bends down and retrieves the bag, putting it next to the baby on the bed. First, a diaper change, and then to see if the baby is hungry.

After checking the baby's diaper, Zelena is pleased to find that her baby is swaddled and dry and warm in a new diaper as if someone had just changed her recently. _Maybe Hades did finally do something right,_ she thinks to herself, a small smile appearing on her face before she catches herself, willing the tiny grin away. Zelena turns her thoughts away from Hades and digs her fingers through the bag again, pulling out a box of formula, a bottle of water, and a baby bottle. She measures out the correct amount of powdered formula and puts it in the bottle of water before putting in some of the water from the water bottle. Zelena then shakes the bottle while keeping a finger on the nipple of the bottle, preventing the bottle from spilling.

"Are you hungry, Little One?" She asks Luena while she shakes the bottle. The baby smacks her lips again and turns her attention to the bag on the bed, waving her hands a few times. Zelena turns back to the baby bottle and holds it in one hand while hovering the other over it. Concentrating carefully, she heats up the bottle with her magic, putting some of the formula on her wrist to examine on whether it is too hot or not. Pleased with managing to make the mixture the right temperature, Zelena gathers her baby in her arms, propping her up so that she can lift the baby bottle to her lips.

"Let's see if you're hungry, sweetheart," She murmurs, keeping her arms steady, as she holds the bottle to Luena's mouth. The baby lets the bottle sit there for a moment before latching her lips around the nipple of the bottle, beginning to drink the baby formula.

"Good girl, Mummy's very proud of you," The mother smiles down at her baby, holding her close and relishing every second she is experiencing with her child.

Hades paces back and forth in his lair, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. His steps falter for a moment, and he decides to sink into the chair on the platform. He crosses one leg over the other at the knee and sighs heavily, picking up his glass of brandy from the table next to him. He takes a sip, letting the burn savor in his throat for a brief moment.

"I was just trying to help you, Zelena," he whispers to himself, closing his eyes. His mind drifts from the witch to another magical entity: Rumplestiltskin. Hades opens his eyes and swipes his hand through the air in a circle, conjuring a crystal ball so that it floats before him. Snatching the ball out of the air, Hades holds it in the palm of his left hand, waving his right hand over it. An image of Rumplestiltskin, or Mr. Gold as he's going by nowadays, talking fervently with Mrs. Gold, or as she's most known, Belle.

 _*"No. No. I-I can't condone you being like this_. _Not again," Belle says to Mr. Gold, taking a firm stance in what appears to be Underbrooke's version of the town library._

" _Yes, you can. You just have to choose to. And if you do... we can have what's important... Family, happiness," Mr. Gold responded, grasping onto the woman's hands, "It's your choice."_

" _No, I'm, uh…" Belle paused, breathing in deeply as a sniffled sounded from her nose, "I'm not making any choices... not now. Not until you get me back to our friends... and you've fixed... all of this." She gestures in a circle, emphasizing her point and her frustration._

" _Then that's what I shall do," He agrees, giving Belle a nod. His face tightens into a grimace as if working with their so-called friends pains him a great deal._

" _But you'll see I'm right. You'll see."*_

He ponders on the last few hours and thinks about the actions he's taken and words he has said towards Zelena since she has entered the Underworld.

"Gods, I sound too much like _him_ ," Hades complains, vanishing the crystal ball and throwing a hand over his eyes. He mutters to himself for a few moments about how he's turning into one of his current enemies before falling silent. He glances over to the side table where he previously placed his glass of brandy and notices the rolled up parchment that is next to his glass. Picking it up, Hades lets it fall open, rolling down towards the ground as he skims over the document. He lets out a sigh before conjuring up a bubble in front of him, another orb that is identical to the one he sent Zelena to call her to Underbrooke. He waves his hand over the circumference of the bubble, waiting for it to turn an iridescent blue.

"Gold," He begins to speak into the orb, rolling his eyes as he pictures the look Gold will have on his face when he hears the message. "I am ready to tear up your parchment; I will meet you at the diner in two hours, exactly. Don't be late."

Hades waves his hand over the orb again and it vanishes, heading towards its target. He settles back into his chair and reaches for his brandy again, downing the rest of it quickly and grimacing at the burn that chases after the alcohol flooding his system. God's can't get drunk, but that doesn't mean they can't try.

"Message received," a voice sounds throughout the room accompanied by a sudden warmth in front of Hades's face. Hades opens his eyes to see a floating ball of flame in front of him. Colored a brilliant gold, the fire flickers for a few seconds before extinguishing itself, leaving nothing behind.

"You must think you're so funny, Gold," Hades says to himself, sighing at the theatrics of the other man. He stands up and raises his arms above his head, giving a great stretch and groaning as one of his bones pops. He is so distracted in the aggravation he feels towards Mr. Gold that he barely recognizes the presence of somewhat familiar magic occurring in the room, a spell that would bring a person from one place to another. The click of heeled boots echoes throughout the chamber, and Hades turns his head to find Zelena walking across the platform. His face brightens as he takes in her appearance before falling once more as he remembers how things ended when they were in the hallway.

"Z-Zelena," Hades stutters, trying to regain his composure, "I didn't think you would come to find me again so soon after our fight."

"Is that what you're calling it?" she smirks at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her ankles still look swollen, but Hades ignores the sight, not wanting to anger her more than he already has.

"Well, that's what it was, wasn't it?" He asks her, his voice now steady and cool as he puts on a collected façade.

"I wouldn't call it a fight," she states, looking around the room, taking in the finer details of the chamber. "A spat is a more accurate term, I think."

"Whatever you want to call it," Hades starts, moving his hands into the pockets of his trousers, "It's on the back burner for right now. I assume you need something unless you were simply coming to resume our…"spat"."

Zelena's eyes darken as anger refuels her spirit. Swallowing a snarky remark, she pushes down her anger, not wanting her unstable magic to be set free again. Who knows if it could go through these walls to where her child lay sleeping in that nearby bedroom.

"Tell me how to leave this place," She demands, taking a firmer stance in front of him. Hades swallows the unwarranted hurt that fills his still heart, choosing to take a step towards Zelena instead.

"And why exactly should I tell you that?" He asks her, watching as the fire in her eyes ignites once more. "If I'm such a horrid person that doesn't care about you or your baby's happiness, the person that _you_ believe I am, then I should be preventing you from leaving, not instructing you on how to leave."

She stews over his statement for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip in frustration. While his logic is right, that is what she should expect out of Hades, to begin with, but she believes he wouldn't be so cruel as to keep her in an eternal Hell, would he?

"Although I _did_ change the Underworld for you," he continues, ignoring the range of emotions on her face that she desperately tries to hide. "You once desired a kingdom, a place where you could be _accepted,_ where you could be _loved_ , without judgment from anyone. You wanted everything your sister had, a loving mother, caring friends, even to cast the spell that brought Storybrooke into existence, to begin with.

"So, I made you your own Storybrooke," he carries on, now pacing back and forth across the platform. "I wanted you to see that you didn't need _any_ of them; you didn't need your sister or those so-called heroes she calls her friends."

"I don't want that anymore," she interrupts him, frowning at the man as he presumes to know exactly how she's feeling.

"No, Zelena, you don't," he admits, drawing her name through his lips as if it's a blessing. "All you need is your daughter, and you have her now."

"So, let me leave," she demands, drawing herself up to her full height, injured ankles be damned. "Let Luena and I leave and go back to Storybrooke at least, where I can then take her somewhere else." _Maybe even into the human world, as plain and horrible as it sounds, Lu can have a perfectly normal life with no interferences from anyone or anything,_ she thinks to herself.

"I would, Zelena if I could," Hades says, a look of pure apology on his face, "I would give up everything, this world I've created, the souls I rule over, _everything_ to let you leave and be happy.

"But I can't," his head falls in shame, and she sees his hand rise from the pocket of his trousers to pinch the bridge of his nose. "No one can leave, only enter, because of my own foolish mistakes."

"What do you mean?" Zelena asks in a steady voice, crossing the floor and plopping down in Hades's chair as if it were her own.

"There was this boy named Orpheus," Hades begins, leaning against the table that once held various bottles but is now empty, "and his wife was Eurydice. Long story short, she died and ended up here. Orpheus came into the Underworld and pleaded for me to let her go. I agreed for there was only one way to escape my realm at that point in time, the test of true love, and I arrogantly thought that no mere mortal couple could ever pass through it.

"The test of true-love requires the living soul of the two to tear their heart out of their chest and place it upon a set of scales. If that person shares true love with their partner, the scales will fall in their favor and allow both parties to move onto a secret chamber filled with the ambrosia of the Gods, the only thing that will allow anyone but me to leave the Underworld.

"Orpheus and Eurydice passed the test," Hades concludes, rubbing a hand over his face as he reveals his own selfish nature to Zelena, "They ate the ambrosia and left the Underworld, happy to be alive and together in the mortal realm. I was furious that they had left; I was young and stupid and thought that I was the most powerful being in the universe, that no one could best me. So I destroyed the rest of the ambrosia, damning everyone else to live an eternity in the Underworld, never to escape."

Zelena sucks a breath in through her teeth, her head spinning with the intake of knowledge Hades has given her.

" _ **Why would you bring my daughter here?!**_ " She bellows, standing up from the chair so fast that her head spins. " _ **Why would you endanger her life and mine?!"**_

"There's another solution to the problem I've created," Hades admits, leaning even further against the table and ignoring Zelena's thundering anger as it sounds throughout the room. "I admit, when I brought your daughter here, I wasn't acting with reason and rather emotionally if I do say so myself."

" _What is the other solution?_ " She demands, her hands cast downwards towards the marble floor as green fire flames from her fingertips.

"I have to break my curse," Hades deadpans, looking up at Zelena's face, willing himself not to shrink back from the rage and displeasure he sees there. At his words, Zelena's anger grows even larger, and she must take several deep breaths to try and calm herself even a smidge.

" _ **Is that why you brought my daughter and me here? To try and break that supposed curse again?**_ " Her guttural screams bounce off the walls, emphasized by the streams of fire she aims into two of the rivers flowing throughout of Hades's throne room; her fury releases itself in wavering, beautiful streams of magic flying into the harmful waters below them. A fleeting thought crosses through his mind that he has never seen her more beautiful or powerful.

"It's not "supposed" anything, Zelena," He tells her, not even trying to placate her after what happened the last time he attempted that route."The curse does exist, my heart does not beat, and for anyone to leave, the curse must be broken, allowing myself and any living person here to leave permanently and rejoin the land of the living."


End file.
